| Topic: |
Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
| User: |
"Foaming at the Mouth Psychotic" |
| Date: |
23 Dec 2005 03:28:52 PM |
| Object: |
PAKISTAN: TRIBESMEN SAY OVER 50 KILLED IN BALUCHISTAN ARMY OFFENSIVE |
PAKISTAN: TRIBESMEN SAY OVER 50 KILLED IN BALUCHISTAN ARMY OFFENSIVE
Quetta, 20 Dec. (AKI/DAWN) - The Marri tribesmen in Pakistan's
southwestern Baluchistan province and the four-party Baluch Alliance
both claim that more than 50 people have been killed and around 100
injured in helicopter attacks and air strikes carried out as part of
the military operation in the province over the past two days.
Paramilitary forces in Pakistan continued their operation in different
areas of the Kohlu district of Baluchistan on Monday, destroying more
"hideouts and camps of outlaws", while the Frontier Corps camp in the
Kohlu township also came under rocket attack.
Baluchistan, a province that is rich in natural gas reserves, has been
rocked by violence for most of this year. Tribal groups there have been
demanding more political autonomy and a greater share of the area's
resources.
According to reports, helicopter gunships attacked targets throughout
Monday. The raid was carried out against those who allegedly carried
out rocket attacks, bomb explosions and other subversive activities in
different areas of the Kohlu district, sources said. Last week rockets
were fired as Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf was visiting Kohlu
and a day later a commander of the Frontier Corps was injured when
shots were fired at his helicopter as he examined the area where the
attack had occurred.
The Marri tribesmen and the four-party Baluch Alliance claim that over
50 people were killed in the military operation which began late on
Sunday night while another group known as the Anjuman Ittehad Marri
claimed that 70 people, including women and children, had been killed
and 150 injured in bombings by aircraft and helicopter gunships.
Sources said that groups of armed people attacked the Frontier Corps
(FC) camp in the Kohlu township twice on Monday. In the first attack
launched at around 3am, eight rockets were fired from the Jandaran
mountains. The second attack came at around 5am. The FC troops
retaliated and fired 11 rockets, killing one of the attackers.
"One person was found dead in Fazalchal area," official sources said,
adding that others escaped from the area. The sources said that heavy
fighting was reported between paramilitary forces and 'outlaws' in
Baluchistan's mountain ranges. Rockets and heavy machine-guns were
reportedly used against the paramilitary forces and the helicopter
gunships.
The sources said that after destroying the hideouts and training camps,
the FC troops arrested around 30 people and seized huge quantities of
arms and ammunition.
However, Marri tribesman Najeeb Marri claimed that around 100 people of
his tribe had been arrested in different areas of Kohlu district and in
Quetta.
"The operation has been going on in a vast area of the tribal
district for two days and there have been heavy causalities," he told
Dawn in a telephone interview.
Incidents of firing were also reported from the Dera Bugti area on
Monday afternoon, increasing tension in the area which had already
faced a severe government action on March 17 which claiming over 70
lives.
Pakistan's federal interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao also made
a brief visit to the provincial capital Quetta. According to government
sources, he held a meeting with officials and discussed the ongoing
military operation.
Leaders of the Baluch Alliance announced here on Monday that a 'black
day' would be observed in the province on Wednesday to protest
against the military operation.
They said Baluchistan was a political issue and the problem could only
be resolved politically because military operations undertaken in 1948,
1958, 1965 and 1973 had failed because of the "brave resistance by
the Baluch masses".
Habib Jalib Baloch (Baluch National Party-Mengal), Agha Shahid Hasan
Bugti of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and Dr Ishaq Baloch of National
Party declared that Baluch people would not compromise on national
rights and would never surrender.
They said the military operation had been planned beforehand and the
visit of President Musharraf to Kohlu and the firing of rockets during
the visit was part of a plan to pave the way for launching the army
action in the area.
The Baluch Alliance leaders appealed to the International community and
human rights organisations, political groups and nationalist parties to
raise their voice against the 'excesses and oppression' of the
security forces in Baluchistan.
Reports say the situation in Dera Bugti is tense and the area has been
sealed off by paramilitary forces equipped with heavy weapons and
another operation in the area may be launched any time.
"All roads leading to Dera Bugti have been blocked and government
buildings close to the roads have been taken over by Frontier Corps
personnel," the chief of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Nawab Akbar Khan
Bugti said in a telephone interview with the Pakistani daily Dawn from
his home town of Dera Bugti on Monday.
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